How long does it take for a tree to wither? Before I moved to Florida, I would have thought that it could take weeks or months. But now that I am here, I notice that some of my shrubs wither on a hot afternoon. The leaves all go limp, and hang downward. They usually perk back up when they get some cool in the evening and the dew in the morning, or if they are lucky I will put the hose on them for a minute or two to give them a drink.
Jesus has left Jerusalem which is packed with pilgrims preparing for Passover. All the available beds are taken, and Jesus and His disciples have chosen to stay outside the city limits, about two miles away. So they travel there in the evening.
The next morning they take the same route back into Jerusalem. Along the way they pass the fig tree Jesus cursed the day before. It didn’t have any fruit. And Jesus uses the occasion to teach an object lesson about the spiritual state of Jerusalem and the Jewish leadership. They were devoid of spiritual fruit.
As I have read this account in the past I always had the picture of a tree dried up with brown crinkly leaves. But now that I have experienced what withered trees look like, I have a different picture of this tree. The day before the leaves were perky, ready to do their job. I imagine the leaves withered, hanging limp, screaming for some moisture. Jerusalem wasn’t dead yet, it needed a new source of water. The old way of doing business wasn’t cutting it. Jesus was offering to change all that. And He did.
One of the important lessons we need to learn in life is to recognize when something is withered spiritually. We need to see it in ourselves and in others. We need to see it in organizations and movements.
If there is not fruit, or fruit that remains and fulfills its intended function, then perhaps withering has started. When we look at church history, when withering starts, God raises up a fresh movement. It can sometimes take a generation to recognize that death has set in, but once withering starts, unless there is a fresh source of moisture, death will follow.
We can see it happening is several denominations today. They have abandoned the source of spiritual strength, the Scriptures. They have become a source of truth for themselves, accepting and rejecting what they want to believe, what is politically palatable and comfortable for everyone. They have eliminated the offense of the Cross.
And the Cross is the source of new water, new life. Without the Cross, we have a naïve man dying believing a lie, and His disciples continuing that lie, foisting this hoax on countless millions who followed. We really are to be pitied if Christ didn’t die and rise again.
The Arnold Journey 